The Public Good Is Disregarded In The Conflicts Of Rival Parties

“Complaints are everywhere heard from our most considerate and virtuous citizens, equally the friends of public and private faith, and of public and personal liberty, that our governments are too unstable, that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties, and that measures are too often decided, not according to the rules of justice and the rights of the minor party, but by the superior force of an interested and overbearing majority.”

Post navigation

3 thoughts on “The Public Good Is Disregarded In The Conflicts Of Rival Parties”

Knowing the history of political parties in our country, I fully understand why James Madison and Thomas Jefferson eventually went on to form The Democrat-Republican Party; however, as we can see from James Madison's words, prior to The Constitution being the law of the land, political parties were not necessarily favored by many of our founders… Sadly, a few years after the ratification of The Constitution, parties were formed, and we have not since been able to get (post-partisan) past them in this country!

And several times, in the recent past, I have equated political parties to a form of majority rules democracy… I've also noticed that, many who believe we need multiple parties, are the same ones who claim to be against a majority rules, system of democracy.

Sadly, many people tend to be self-centered enough that as long as their worldview is being advanced, then parties and majorities are just fine…Then the tables turn, your party is in the minority, and all of a sudden, it is not fine!

The people need to decide, are we going to be a nation of laws, based on our Constitution, or a nation of competing political party platforms?

I would also add, when there are competing political parties, the chances of one Constitution being explicitly followed by Congress, are "much less" likely to happen.

I agree that there should be no parties, just men and women going to Washington to support the people and the Constitution. But the parties, so ingrained in our society, is like a cancerous growth… it just keeps growing and getting worse, until it totally takes over your body and takes your life. You either have to extract it or die.

Jackie,
That cancer you are describing is called Washington D.C.! And the political parties are one very bad symptom of that disease!

For quite some time, I have seen our country as The Democrat States of America, and The Republican States of America… And to that extent, I sometimes wonder if The Civil War really was a foregone conclusion. This country may never be united; and perhaps, should be divided into at least two separate federations of states. A confederation of states, with no federal, or centralized government, could "potentially" work as well.